The Motley Fool's CAPS investing service is great way for investors to work together to beat the market -- and maybe get famous while they're at it. Among its features, CAPS lets users blog about their picks, investing strategies, market views, their favorite ice cream flavors, or whatever floats their boat.
As the CAPS blogosphere continues to grow, players are adding more great content on a daily basis. To make it easier to find some of the gems out there, I've dug through the past week's posts to find some of CAPS' best insights. Of course, with room for only seven posts here, I can't possibly cover all of the great stuff in the CAPS blogosphere. So when you're done here, I highly recommend heading over to CAPS and checking out what some of the other investors have to say.
The Buffett Goldman Sachs deal
While Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK-A ) (NYSE: BRK-B ) proposed $5 billion investment in Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS ) may not be the most important news of the week, I thought it was one of the most eye-catching. CAPS blogger ChrisGraley was likewise impressed with the deal and recently blogged about why -- as I might put it -- Warren Buffett is out-of-control awesome. Click through to ChrisGraley's blog to get his thoughts.
ROI, the Paulson Plan, and the rise of neo-mercantilism
Given the size and scope of the financial bailout plan proposed by the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve, as well as the dire circumstances in which we currently find ourselves, it's no surprise that there's no shortage of discussion over whether the plan will work, and whether this is really the best way for America to go. CAPS blogger TheHuney finds himself firmly in the negative camp, outlining in a recent post why he thinks Paulson and crew are misguided in proposing such a plan. Head over to TheHuney's blog to read his thoughts.
King Hank
Wait, did I say there was a two-way discussion about the plan? Well, actually pretty much all of CAPS' bloggers seem to be solidly against the Treasury's plan. CAPS member LarkinSoft thinks that, among other things, the plan gives far too much power to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Head over to LarkinSoft's blog to tune into his outrage.
Bad Bailout! Bad!
Now on the other side of the coin ... oh no, wait, TMFSmashy is no fan of the bailout, either. Looking for more analysis of the plan? Check out the list that Smashy put together of his favorite articles breaking down the plan.
An alternative solution that costs $700 billion
And of course, we also have some CAPS members suggesting alternatives to the current plan. Member iamamartin thinks he has an even better solution that will have the same ultimate price tag. Should Wachovia (NYSE: WB ) and Citigroup (NYSE: C ) be preparing for tough new competition? Check out iamamartin's blog to find out.
What to do with BAC
Though Bank of America's (NYSE: BAC ) recent acquisition of Merrill Lynch may be a solid addition on the business side, that's a secondary concern to TMFHighYield, who maintains a diversified portfolio of high-yielding stocks. Recent comments from BofA suggest that a dividend cut could be on the table in the near future, and this is certainly worrisome for somebody focused on payout. Head over to HighYield's blog for his conclusion on how BofA should be handled.
California hippies save solar!
Wait, there's other stuff going on that doesn't involve Lehman, AIG, or the government bailout? Apparently there is, and that savvy TMFSarahGen has brought us a likely much-overlooked headline that could mean big things for solar companies like First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR ) . Visit her blog for the details.
And that's our round-up for this week. Be sure to check back next week for more great blogging action. In the meantime, why not head over to CAPS and add your two cents to the community pool?
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